Cork-retainer.



No. 736,202. PATENTED AUG. 11, 1903.

W. E. BROWN. CORK RETAINER.

OOOOOOO figa ffy/gv UNITE STATES Patented August 11, 1903.

ATENT iranien.

WILLIAM E. BROWN, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TOBROWN-WINSTANLEY MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF LOS AN GELES, CALIFORNIA, ACORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

CORK-RETAINER.

' SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent No. 736,202, datedAugust 11, 1903.

Application led January 3, 1903. Serial No. 13 7,690. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may con/cern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. BROWN, of Los Angeles, in the county ofLos Angeles and State of California, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Cork- Retainers; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

The object of this'invention is to provide an improved andhighly-efficient cork-retainer for bottles, which4 in addition tosecurely holding the cork as against expulsion by the gases with whichthe liquid contents of the bottle may be charged is composed of but twoparts, capable of being readily placed in position and fastened withoutinjurjT to the hands or :lingers of the operator.

The invention will be hereinafter fully set forth, and particularlypointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l shows my cork-retainer applied toa bottle. Fig. 2is a perspective view. Fig. 3 is a transverse verticalsectional view.

Referring to the drawings, l designates portion of a bottle-neck havinga shoulder 2 near its upper end. 3 designates the cork-retainer as awhole. It consists of a single piece of metal having a central enlargedcap portion 4, designed to entirely cover the top surface ofa cork, andarms 5, extending from opposite sides of such cap portion. These armsare turned back upon themselves at their free ends to form loops 6. Thecap of course varies in size according to the bottle to which it is tobe applied, and the arms 5 are of such length that when the cap isplaced in position the loops 6 will be just below or adjacent to theshoulder 2 of the bottle-neck, the extreme ends of such loops being incontact with the bulged portion of the neckV above the shoulder. Themeans for holding the retainer preferably consists of a single piece ofwire 7, passed through loops 6 and around the bottleneck beneath theshoulder thereof, such wire when tightly drawn beneath the shoulder be-.struck up from a single piece of metal.

ing twisted to securely lock the retainer in place.

In the manufacture the cap and arms lare he arms 5 are then bent down atapproximately right angles to the cap portion 4 and the wire 7 passedthrough the looped ends 6, the ends of the wire then being united, asshown in Fig. 2. In applying the device the operator holds the cap inplace with one hand while with the other he grasps the wire 7 and twistsit until the portion encircling the bottle-neck ts snug beneath shoulder2. The wire is of such length that when passed through the loopspreparatory to being secured it is of approximately elongated U shape,the laterals being considerably longer than necessary to encircle thebottle. The two wire ends are then bent inwardly and twisted together toform a reinforced portion at substantially right angles to the laterals.This reinforced portion is less pliable than the remainder of the wires.In consequence when the operator grasps and turns the same the resultingtwist will occur close up to the bottle-neck, thus necessitating only afew turns of the wire to effectively secure the retainer in position.'By reference to Fig. 1 it will be noted that in tightening the wireloops 6 are drawn inward beneath the shoulder, so as to more securelyhold the cap.

In addition to the advantages of my invention apparent to those skilledin the art it may be noted that by reinforcing the wire ends the wiremay readily be twisted without injury to the hands of the operator.

I claim as my invention l. As an article of manufacture, acork-retainercomprising a cap and arms extending from opposite sides thereof, and awire designed to encircle a bottle-neck and to which said arms aresecured, the ends of said wire being extended and joined to form areinforced portion, for the purpose stated.

.2. As an article of manufacture, a cork-retainer comprising a singlepiece of metal forming a cap and arms extending from opposite sidesthereof, loops being formed in the free ends of said arms, and a wirepassed speocation in the presence of two subserbthrough said loops andremovably held thereing witnesses.

by, such wire bein@ of approximately elony gatedA U shape andbhavng itsextended ends WILLIAM E' BROVN 5 bent inwardly and twisted together, forthey Witnesses:

purpose stated. In testimony whereof I have signed this F. WINSTANLEY,CHAs. B. WARREN.

